. >> pope benedict has never seemed entirely comfortable in front of crowds, even one as adoring as this one. the vatican said they expected 50,000. it was four or five times that. >> it means the world to me. i grew up catholic. it is huge, monumental. this great event that is taking shape in our church, this is the main reason why i'm here today. >> it was a long and physically demanding event for a man whose frailty is now all too evident. emotional ands personal. and he referred to the controversies that have dogged his pontificate. he said the church had faced stormy weather. it had seemed at times that the lord was sleeping. was elected pope in eight years ago, he said, he surrendered his looked -- his right to a private life, and there could be no going back. i am not, he said, abandoning the cross. to prayt each of you for me and for the new pope. >> this is the last time the public will see this pope. very soon, for the sake of the credibility and authority of the next pope, benedicta will be hidden from the world for the rest of his life. there will soon be two popes in the vat